General Info: An invasive species that was introduced into America, and has bred continuously since. It is easily recognized by its black shiny scales and silver white scales on its body. (4) The back is black with a white stripe down the center beginning at the dorsal surface of the head and continuing along the thorax. It is a medium-sized mosquito (around 2.0 to 10.0 mm, males are usually about 20% smaller than females). (2)
Life Cycles/ Reproduction: Eggs are laid one at a time, submerged in water. The larve that hatch from the eggs stay in this state for 5 to 10 days, before going into the pupal stage. This stage only lasts for about 2 days, before becoming an adult mosquito. (2)
Habitats: Originally found in Asia, these creatures have spread to islands in the southern Pacific, North and South America, and have even spread to Africa, Europe and Australia. (3) Click Here to see a map of how far Asian Tiger Mosquitos have spread in the United States. (6)
An Asian Tiger Mosquito in its Pupa stage.
Impact on Environment: Asian Tiger Mosquitos are known to carry diseases, such as Dengue Fever and West Nile Virus. (6) Dengue Fever is a flu like illness that is incredibly painful, and can be fatal. West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness that can cause high fever, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis in serious cases. (1)
History: Before entering the U.S. thought, they were called the Forest Day Mosquito. They were given the name Asian Tiger Mosquito by both the media and medical experts, who decided Forest Day Mosquito seemed less threatening. The Asian Tiger Mosquito was introduced in Hawaii in the late 1800's, but because it was so far away from the mainland, there was no movement to stop them. The Asian Tiger Mosquito was first introduced into mainland America in 1983, where the first Tiger Mosquito was spotted in a graveyard.(5) Originally, they were native to Asia, but it is assumed that they have traveled into America through water within car tires. From 1978 to 1985, 11.6 million car tires were imported from Asia, to America. Water easily gets into car tires, but because water is hard to get out, it is a likely source of the mosquitos. (5)
Control Measures: Just like regular mosquitoes, Asian Tiger Mosquitoes can't lay eggs on dry land. Emptying out standing water can prevent the Tiger Mosquitoes from laying eggs. This means either filling spaces that can gather water, or drying out wet areas. Even small puddles can be used by the mosquitoes to lay their eggs. (3) This is a problem, particularly in places like Florida and Hawaii, where it is almost impossible to drain all of the standing water. Usually, expterts use special pesticides to kill off certain areas of mosquitoes. (6)
References: 1. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. "West Nile Virus- What You Need To Know." Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases. 12 Sept. 2006. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm>
4. Novak, and Florida Mosquito Control Association. "The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus." New Jersey Mosquito. Rutgers University. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp8.htm>.
Asian Tiger Mosquitos: (Aedes albopictus)
Life Cycles/ Reproduction: Eggs are laid one at a time, submerged in water. The larve that hatch from the eggs stay in this state for 5 to 10 days, before going into the pupal stage. This stage only lasts for about 2 days, before becoming an adult mosquito. (2)
Habitats: Originally found in Asia, these creatures have spread to islands in the southern Pacific, North and South America, and have even spread to Africa, Europe and Australia. (3) Click Here to see a map of how far Asian Tiger Mosquitos have spread in the United States. (6)
Impact on Environment: Asian Tiger Mosquitos are known to carry diseases, such as Dengue Fever and West Nile Virus. (6) Dengue Fever is a flu like illness that is incredibly painful, and can be fatal. West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness that can cause high fever, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis in serious cases. (1)
History: Before entering the U.S. thought, they were called the Forest Day Mosquito. They were given the name Asian Tiger Mosquito by both the media and medical experts, who decided Forest Day Mosquito seemed less threatening. The Asian Tiger Mosquito was introduced in Hawaii in the late 1800's, but because it was so far away from the mainland, there was no movement to stop them. The Asian Tiger Mosquito was first introduced into mainland America in 1983, where the first Tiger Mosquito was spotted in a graveyard.(5) Originally, they were native to Asia, but it is assumed that they have traveled into America through water within car tires. From 1978 to 1985, 11.6 million car tires were imported from Asia, to America. Water easily gets into car tires, but because water is hard to get out, it is a likely source of the mosquitos. (5)
Control Measures: Just like regular mosquitoes, Asian Tiger Mosquitoes can't lay eggs on dry land. Emptying out standing water can prevent the Tiger Mosquitoes from laying eggs. This means either filling spaces that can gather water, or drying out wet areas. Even small puddles can be used by the mosquitoes to lay their eggs. (3) This is a problem, particularly in places like Florida and Hawaii, where it is almost impossible to drain all of the standing water. Usually, expterts use special pesticides to kill off certain areas of mosquitoes. (6)
References: 1. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. "West Nile Virus- What You Need To Know." Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases. 12 Sept. 2006. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm>
2. Department of Entomology and Nematology. Dept. home page. May 2008. University of Florida of Food and Agricultural Sciences. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/aquatic/asian_tiger.htm>.
3. Entomology. Dept. home page. Ohio State University . 19 Nov. 2008 <http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2148.html>.
4. Novak, and Florida Mosquito Control Association. "The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus." New Jersey Mosquito. Rutgers University. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp8.htm>.
5. Taubes, Gary. "Tales of a bloodsucker. (Asian tiger mosquitoes)." Discover. v19. n7 (July 1998): p124(7). Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve> 6. The National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC). "Asian Tiger Mosquito." Invasivespeciesinfo.gov. 7 Nov. 2008. 13 Nov. 2008 <http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/asiantigmos.shtml>.